Cisco Catalyst Switches review
Updated December 09, 2025
Cisco Catalyst Switches review
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Modules Used
- Cisco Catalyst 2960 - L
- 9200, 9500, 9300
Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Catalyst Switches
Full Cisco shop from access layer to core. We trust in having readily available support and reliable products to support our mission critical business objectives.
Pros
- Access layer security
- Speed, vlan, interoperability
- Works well with configuring trunks and connecting branch offices
Cons
- Compatibility with 3rd party hardware (SFPs)
- Cost
- Product instruction/documentation
- Allow for redundancy and reliability
- Better ROI if cost was lower
- Confusing licensing requirements
- Cisco Catalyst Switches
Used 3rd party VPN solution that integrated more easily into our firewall appliance.
Dependable, reliable.
Do you think Cisco Catalyst Switches delivers good value for the price?
Not sure
Are you happy with Cisco Catalyst Switches's feature set?
Yes
Did Cisco Catalyst Switches live up to sales and marketing promises?
I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process
Did implementation of Cisco Catalyst Switches go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy Cisco Catalyst Switches again?
Yes
Cisco Catalyst Addtional Questions
- Core Switching
- Distribution Switching
- Access Layer Devices
- Remote Site Connectivity (Fiber Trunks)
- Scalability
- Integration with Other Systems
Reputable company with reliable support. Internal network has been primarily Cisco based for many years; staff is trained and receives updated knowledge of new products regularly.
Golden images are pushed through DNA/Catalyst Center. Easy to implement backup/restore feature for configuration changes.
Not that I am aware of. We typically do switching refreshes every few years so they are fairly easy hot-drop/swap scenarios. Configure the new unit exactly like the old and replace, then move to the next.
Using Cisco Catalyst Switches
All of our internal employees connect back into our Cisco Switch infrastructure. This includes all departments -- Customer Service, Billing, Executive Team, Information Technology, Engineering, Accounting & Finance, and our Operations (construction & maintenance) department. We use this same infrastructure to connect two remote offices that are primarily for Customer Service. We also have remote sites for data collection that use the rugged version of the Catalyst product line for point-to-point communication. We provide community and guest access for wireless with Cisco APs that back-haul through our Catalyst controller and back through our internal Catalyst network.
3 -
We have one experienced Network Engineer (20+ years in industry) that holds the CCNA certification. This individual is also working towards the CCNP exam for additional training and knowledge.
His backup, although technically housed in a separate department, is also an experienced Network Engineer (20+ years in industry) who holds the CompTIA Network+ certification.
Additionally, these two individuals are currently training myself to eventually become a Network Administration as well. I have recently been studying for the CCNA. Currently, I hold the Cisco Certified Technician certification as well as various entry-level Microsoft certifications.
In my own personal journey of studying content and objectives of the CCNA exam, I believe it is not required to support a 99% switched environment as a large portion of the exam is based on various routing protocols (interior and exterior) that may not even be in place within a number of facilities.
- VRF
- VLAN and network segmentation
- Spanning-tree manipulation
- Aggregated channels (EtherChannel) and Trunking
- Higher utilization of built in security mechanisms
- Network expansion (infrastructure growth)
- More redundancy from site to site (multiple paths + failover)
Comments
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